Bad Santa
by modernxxmyth
Summary: You wanna see Santa's Little Helper?" It's Christmas Eve, and Kate and Sawyer meet at a local bar. AU. Skate. One-shot.


**A/N: **I started this around Christmas but never quite got around to finishing it. Now I'm on some sort of Lost fic kick, so why not? AU Skate. Fluffy amusement. The title says it all.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

* * *

**Bad Santa**

Kate walked into Ford's, a local bar that she'd never made it into, around 10:00 PM. The bar was looking pretty empty, just the usual drunks, and a few people looking around for a hook-up. Male eyes, and a few female, turned towards her upon her entrance, but she rolled her eyes and scoffed.

Very minimal Christmas decorations were dispersed throughout the somewhat grungy bar, and Kate held back a laugh. The people coming on a night like this – Christmas Eve – wouldn't be caring much about holiday decorations. There was mistletoe hanging in the middle of the room, over one of the pool tables, and Kate noticed one of the more unkempt, drunken men trying to coerce a young blonde to join him under it. It didn't look like he was succeeding.

Kate sighed, swept her long, brown curly locks behind her back, and approached the bar. She took a seat, and a very attractive, cutely scruffy blonde man smiled at her.

The blonde, dimpled bartender spoke with a southern drawl, "What can I do you for?"

"SAWYER!" a loud, female voice called from another room. Kate turned to find an angry, large woman shouting at him. "YOU'RE NOT WEARING YOUR UNIFORM."

The man named Sawyer muttered a string of irritated curses under his breath and pulled a Santa hat out from behind the bar. He grudgingly placed it on his head and flashed his boss an aggravated look. "Happy?" he questioned with a sarcastic smile. The woman nodded, and Sawyer turned back to Kate.

"Sorry about that. What can I get you?"

Kate let out a quiet laugh, unable to hat her eyes off the hat. His accent just made things all the more exaggerated. "Um…Southern Comfort. Up." It wasn't something she usually drank, but the words easily tumbled out of her mouth with the obviously southern bartender in front of her.

"Nice choice," he threw her another dimpled smile.

He fixed Kate her drink.

"Nice hat," she commented. "Really brings out those dimples."

Sawyer smirked. "What can I say? I wanted look my best for Christmas. I've even got Christmas Trees on my boxers today. Got some mistletoe above my bed, too, if you're interested."

Kate rolled her eyes, but she couldn't contain the small smile that covered her features. She ignored his flirting for the moment and commented, "Not very crowded tonight. You work the holidays often?"

Sawyer nodded. "It's never very busy. People are celebrating family unity and warm fuzzies or some shit, gathering around the Christmas tree, all smiles. You only get the lonely ones on Christmas Eve. You ain't got any family…what's your name?"

"Kate," she said shortly.

"Kate," he repeated, his drawl giving it a new sound. "So Kate, you lonely? No family to go home to?"

"I don't have much of a home," she stated. "I'm not one to stick around in one place for too long."

"Just passing through?" he questioned.

She nodded resolutely and took a long drink. "Always."

Kate was the only person at the bar, but to her dismay, Sawyer grabbed a glass and made another Southern Comfort, just like hers. He smirked at her puzzled expression, moved out from behind the bar, and sat down next to her, drink in hand.

"You're drinking on the job?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not much of a job tonight, now is it?"

Kate shrugged. "And why aren't _you_ at home with a family tonight?"

"Don't have one. I figure I'm lucky. _I_ don't have to deal with the terrible stress of holiday shopping."

His shields were up, Kate could tell, but she wasn't about to pry. He wasn't prying into her past and present, and she was going to give him the same courtesy. It _was_ Christmas after all. Not that it meant anything to her.

Sawyer reached behind the bar, grabbed too shot glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniel's, and placed it between them.

Kate took a shot and asked, "Why does your boss insist on making you wear that hat?"

"For the ladies, obviously," he replied with sarcasm. "You wanna see Santa's Little Helper?"

Kate smacked him lightly on the shoulder but couldn't help but be intrigued by the thought. "Don't you have a Mrs. Claus to be getting back to?"

"Nope," he grinned, "Just me, myself, and I. Wanna join me, sweet cheeks?"

"Why would I want to do that?" she questioned.

"Well, you ain't got any other plans, now do ya?"

Kate poured her glass, took a shot, and shook her head.

"See?" said Sawyer. "Now you gotta hang with me tonight. Wouldn't want to spend the holidays alone."

"Of course not," Kate allowed him a smile.

"My place is only a couple blocks away," he whispered in her ear. Kate shivered. "The bar closes in an hour."

Kate pursed her lips, considering. But there was nothing to consider. "Alright."

"Where ya from, Sweetheart?" Sawyer questioned, drawl accentuated with his alcohol intake.

"Iowa," she said quietly.

"What are you doin' down here in Florida, then?"

"I haven't been back to Iowa in four years. I don't plan on going back anytime soon. Where are you from?" She refilled her glass.

"Tennessee," he stated. "But you're-"

She cut him off. "Don't you dare use the line."

"What line?" he inquired innocently.

"The 'Only ten I see' line. You can be _much_ more original than that. Are you even from Tennessee?"

"I am, actually." He beamed and ran a hand through his hair. "But you're right. That line is pretty lame. How 'bout this?" He put his drink down on the bar. "That's a nice shirt," he gestured, "Can I talk you out of it?"

Kate spluttered with laughter. "That one's pretty good."

"Need another?" Sawyer asked with charm, dimples noticeable with his beaming smile. "Can I take a picture of you, so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Try a little harder."

"Didn't like that one? Fine. How 'bout…You've been naughty. Go to my room."

The brunette chuckled and took another shot. "That was decent. But I think you can do better."

Sawyer took a shot of Jack and pondered for a moment. He adjusted the hat on his head and spoke, "Why don't you come over here and sit on Santa's lap, and we'll talk about the first thing that pops up."

Kate let out a loud laugh. "I actually haven't heard that one before."

"You a fan?" Sawyer questioned.

"I have to admit, I am," she allowed and took another shot.

"How do you feel about body shots?" Sawyer asked.

"Was that another pick up line or an actual question?"

"Freckles, that's entirely your decision."

Kate rolled her eyes once more but couldn't help but smile. "When's your shift end again?"

"It won't be too long now. The crowd seems to be heading out," he said, glancing around the bar and seeing only two other individuals there, as opposed to the four or so beforehand.

Shots were passed back and forth, and it wasn't too long before the bar cleared out entirely, with the exception of Kate and Sawyer.

"I'm heading out, Rhonda!" Sawyer yelled to his boss, whom had forced him to put on his holiday attire earlier.

His boss gave no coherent response, just a serious of grunts, and Sawyer grabbed Kate's hand to show her the exit. She felt the heat in her palm, and the heat continued into her cheeks at the feeling. As they walked and climbed into Sawyer's truck, the heat continued its path, eventually ending up pooled between her legs.

Kate had a feeling she was in for a very, very good night.

* * *

It was the best sex she'd ever had, Kate decided when she woke up the next morning in Sawyer's bed. The sheets had somehow ended up in a bunch on the shag carpet floor, and she was quite certain her clothes were strewn throughout the house. She walked throughout his place, picking up articles and putting them on as she went.

The sex had been great. Phenomenal, really. Sawyer had been exactly what Kate had expected and exactly what Kate needed. Both understood it was a one time thing, but that didn't seem to stop Sawyer from pulling out all the stops. All bases were included, nothing was off the table. Hell, even the body shots had actually happened. It had been a crazy night of passion that Kate knew full well she would remember to the grave. She walked back into Sawyer's bedroom with a grin on her face, seeing that he was still asleep, lightly snoring into his pillow. He didn't seem like the type of guy who had girls stay over often. She was quite certain he had girls _over_ often, but _stay_ over was another thing entirely. He seemed like the type that would love 'em and leave 'em all in one night, no morning afters necessary.

Maybe it was all in the spirit of the holidays. No one really wants to be alone on Christmas, do they?

Kate smiled and grabbed a blank piece of paper she saw lying on his night stand. She messily scrawled the words "Merry Christmas" on it, added a goofy smiley face to her creation, mimicked the expression for a moment, and exited his bedroom. It had been a great night, but Kate was just passing through as she'd said. She showed herself out and knew if she was ever back to the town again, she would be certain to look up a certain Santa named Sawyer.

Fin.


End file.
